Parents, cousin held for killing woman over love marriage
In Baghpat, three relatives of a woman, Shivani, were arrested for her murder after she insisted on marrying her lover, while her brother remains at large.
The parents and cousin of a 22-year-old woman were arrested in Baghpat district on Thursday for allegedly strangling her to death after she insisted on marrying her lover, said police. All three arrested accused were produced in court and subsequently sent to jail on Friday, they added.
The incident took place in Luhari village under Baraut tehsil.
The main accused, the deceased’s brother, is still at large and is believed to have fled with the pickup vehicle reportedly used in the crime, said police.
According to police, the deceased, identified as Shivani, had been in a relationship with Ankit Prajapati, a resident of the same village, for the past one-and-a-half years. Despite opposition from her family, they were determined to marry.
The case came to light on Wednesday morning when Ankit grew suspicious after finding Shivani’s phone switched off. He alerted the police, which led to an investigation
During investigation, Ankit informed police that Shivani’s parents had found out about their relationship a few days earlier and started restricting her movements. They also allegedly beat her in an attempt to make her end the relationship, but Shivani remained firm in her decision.
During interrogation, Shivani’s parents — Sanjeev alias Sanju and Babita — confessed to the murder. They informed that on Tuesday night, they along with their son Ravi and niece Puja strangled Shivani to death at their home. They then took her body to the Yamuna riverbank, where it was burned during the night. To eliminate all evidence of the crime, the ashes were scattered in the river, police said.
Based on Ankit’s complaint, police registered a case against Sanjeev, Babita, Shivani’s brother Ravi, and her cousin Pooja as the accused.
Additional superintendent of police NP Singh confirmed that the three accused have been arrested following the confessions of the girl’s parents. “Search operations are underway to arrest Ravi, who fled with the pickup vehicle used in the crime. We are confident of nabbing him soon,” the officer said.
